


A Matter of Perspective

by FictionalKnight (Northern_Star)



Series: Matchmaker, Matchmaker [2]
Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-07
Updated: 2009-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-19 03:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/196435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Star/pseuds/FictionalKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to <i>The Perfect Match</i>. Lois finds out just who Clark's been dating, and she can't believe it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Matter of Perspective

Lois walked casually over to Clark's desk, her attention focused on the PDA she held in one hand.

"I hope you're free on Friday," she told him, eyes still locked on the screen of the device, "there's a get-together after work, for Brenda's retirement. I could introduce you to the new guy from--"

"Oh, right..." Clark said, snapping his fingers as though he'd just remembered something important. "I meant to tell you, Lois... You don't have to bother playing matchmaker anymore. I, uh... I've already found someone." A slight blush crept up his cheeks as he went on, "Or rather, he found me, I guess. Something like that. Anyway, for the time being, you should assume that I'm not available."

Lois looked up and stared at him in surprise for a moment. "Really?" She smiled broadly at his nod and, raising her voice so that everyone in the newsroom would hear, she announced, "Hey, listen everyone, Clark has a boyfriend!" Then to him she said, "It's about time, too. Anyone I know?"

Barely hiding the look of mortification brought on by Lois's abrupt announcement of the news to all of their colleagues, Clark managed to get out an "I guess you could say that."

Her curiosity piqued, Lois sat on the edge of his desk, leaning toward him. "Who is it?" she asked. "Oh, no, wait, let me guess! Is it Andrew?" She took a quick glance at her PDA. "Oh, I know! It's Ryan, isn't it? Tall, blond and dreamy?"

Still uncomfortable and avoiding hers and everyone else's gaze, Clark replied, "No. It's no one that you introduced me to, Lois."

"But it's someone I know?" Lois frowned, deep in thought. She looked around then turned to Clark again. "Is it someone in the newsroom?"

At the other end of the newsroom, and as if right on cue, there was a ding from the elevator. As its doors opened, out came Bruce Wayne. Clark looked up and smiled.

"Well, he's in the newsroom _now_..." he told Lois.

Her head snapped toward the elevator door. Almost immediately she turned back to Clark with an incredulous look on her face. "Who, him? You're joking, right? You couldn't possibly be dating _him_!"

Clark subtly waved to Bruce who nodded in acknowledgement. "Why would I make something like that up, Lois?"

"Seriously? Bruce Wayne?" Lois asked, standing up from the edge of the desk where she'd been sitting. "Of all the guys you could have pointed to in the office, you had to pick the straightest and most notorious skirt chaser in the tri-state area. Clark... even Superman isn't powerful enough to seduce this man. You're going to have to come up with a better story than that."

"I'm not making this up," Clark insisted. "Look, why don't you just ask him yourself?"

Lois smiled slyly. "Don't mind if I do."

She strode over to the Daily Planet owner, an air of determination on her face.

"Hi, I'm sorry," she told him, sounding far from apologetic, "You don't mind if I ask you a couple quick questions, do you?"

"No, of course not. Fire away," Bruce replied, putting on his usual devastating smile.

"My friend over there -" Lois turned and pointed to Clark "- see him? Tall, a bit nerdy, pretty much unremarkable...?"

Bruce craned his neck to look behind her. "Who? Clark?" he asked, frowning.

Lois blinked, surprised that the billionaire even knew her partner's name. "Clark, yes. Well, he claims, and get this, because it's absolutely preposterous -" she snorted "- he claims that you two are dating."

Bruce's frown deepened. "What's preposterous about it?" he asked, looking almost offended. "As a matter of fact--"

"Oh, I see," Lois exclaimed, "I see what's going on here! He put you up to this, didn't he?"

She shook her head and, without waiting for a reply, walked right back to Clark's desk. "Nice try, Smallville," she shot in an accusatory tone, "But I can see right through your little practical joke. You orchestrated this whole thing, didn't you? Thought it would be fun to make a fool out of me?"

"No, I--"

"Well, listen up, buster, and listen real good, because no one--"

"No, Lois, really," Clark insisted, getting up from his chair so he could attempt to calm her down. "I swear I'm not making this up."

Having just reached them, Bruce gave Clark an amused look. "Somehow I get the feeling that she doesn't believe us," he said. "Maybe we should offer her some sort of proof? I understand that reporters prefer hard facts, after all..."

With that, Bruce took a couple steps toward Clark, moving in close enough that their noses almost touched. Then, slowly, he leaned in to kiss him, and what should probably have remained a very chaste kiss rapidly turned into a very passionate and very public display. Gasps were heard around the newsroom, accompanied by the sounds of odd pieces of office equipment dropping to the floor all of a sudden.

A long moment later, Bruce pulled away, a large smile on his lips. "I have a quick meeting, but if you're free we could have lunch together afterwards?"

Clark straightened his glasses and, with a ridiculously goofy grin, managed to mumble an "I'd like that," before sliding down in his chair, a deep blush covering his cheeks. As Bruce walked away, Clark immediately started typing again in an attempt to avoid the stares of his coworkers.

Meanwhile, a very agitated Lois was pacing between their desks, mumbling something about losing her edge and throwing her hands in the air as she did. "Dammit, even my gaydar is out of order," she shot as she started walking away toward the elevator.

Clark watched her go, a look of concern on his face. It was never a good sign when Lois got herself in such a state, he knew, so he kept a close eye on her. She hopped into the first elevator that opened its doors, even though it was heading up, and not down, where she normally would have gone. Using his x-ray vision, Clark saw the elevator go all the way to the last floor, where Lois got out and went out to the roof of the building where she resumed her pacing and her mumbling about the end of her career being nigh.

Shaking his head, and certain that Lois couldn't possibly get herself in any trouble up there, Clark went back to the article he needed to finish.

All of a sudden, his ears rang from the sounds of a strident and very close by shriek. Clark's head snapped up and immediately he knew. Somehow, Lois had managed to slip off the edge of the building, and she was falling rapidly toward the pavement below. In a heartbeat, Superman was outside, flying toward her, his red cape billowing in the wind. He caught her with just seconds to spare and shot right back into the sky, holding her tightly against him.

"Lois, are you all right?" Superman asked, worry seeping into his normally assured tone. "What happened?"

"I-- I..." Eyes wide she looked to him, then to the ground and back to him again. "I-- I was leaning against the ledge, up on the roof of the building and suddenly -" she swallowed nervously, eyes closed, as though she was reliving the accident "- a piece of concrete just broke loose and--" The last of her sentence never made it past the lump in her throat.

"Shhh, it's all right," Superman said soothingly. "I've got you. You're all right."

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and said, "I might as well have just died..."

"Lois, no... Why would you say such a thing?"

"Oh, Superman..." she started, sounding absolutely dejected, "I've lost it. My edge. That thing I had that made me the best at what I do... I've _lost it_. Completely. I can't read people anymore, it's like I've completely forgotten how. I've lost it!"

"It can't be that bad, Lois. You're still the best reporter Metropolis has ever had."

"No, I'm not," she argued. "I swear I've really lost it this time. I should just quit and... oh, I don't know, become a housewife, maybe. Then again, that's not likely to happen, either. It's as if every guy I know these days is turning out to be gay. With my luck, even you are!"

Superman opened his mouth, but closed it again, unable to blatantly lie nor admit that she was right.

Lois looked at him, sudden understanding causing her eyes to grow wide. "You are, aren't you?" she asked. When he failed to answer, preferring to concentrate on landing them safely on the roof of the Daily Planet, she went on in a high-pitched tone, "Oh my god! You are!"

He let her go, still not saying a word, and Lois started pacing again.

"I don't believe it," she said, her hands flying up, "every man in this city is turning out to be gay! Not that there's anything wrong with that, but dammit, I should be able to tell the difference! And I can't! I can't!"

"Lois, please calm down..."

"All this time... I should have seen it! Next thing I know you're going to tell me you're dating... I don't know... Batman? And I wouldn't be surprised if the entire superhero community--" She stopped cold the moment she caught the look on Superman's face. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me? Batman?"

"Well..."

"It's as if you and Clark were twins, I swear. Turns out he's dating a guy from--" Again, Lois seemed to freeze mid-sentence. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, and when she came back to her senses, she walked right up to Superman, poking him in the chest with a finger. "You-- You-- you're more than twins! Oh my god, I've been so incredibly blind!"

"What? What are--"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me," Lois said and she brushed the spit curl away from his forehead, "I see right through you now, _Clark Kent_."

Superman's face fell, and he looked at her with pleading eyes. "Lois, I'm sorry... I wanted to tell you, I really did. I was just afraid that--"

She took a few steps back and sighed. "I don't blame you for not wanting to reveal yourself to a _reporter_. Especially one who was so hell bent on unearthing every little detail she could about you. Look, I'm sorry about all of that, but... dammit, Clark, you could have trusted me!"

"You're right, Lois," he admitted. He walked up to her and gently placed a hand on her arm. "I should have, and I'm sorry I didn't." Then, more tentatively, he asked, "Can I trust you not to print this? Any of it?"

"Of course I won't print it," she assured him. "How could I?" Sighing, she added, "I really hate you right now, you know? But you're still my friend, and -" she sighed again "- I just want you to be happy."

"Thank you, Lois," Superman said, smiling. "I owe you a lot."

"Considering how many secrets you're asking me to keep," Lois said as she walked over to the door leading back inside the building, "you really, really do!"

A few minutes and several flights of stairs later, Lois swung open the door that led into the newsroom and found herself face to face with Bruce Wayne.

Eyes narrow, she leaned in closer and whispered to him, "As for you, I swear if you ever hurt him, there isn't a Bat-gadget in existence that's going to save you from me." Without waiting for a reply, Lois walked away, a satisfied air on her face.

Confused, Bruce looked to Clark who had just come back into the newsroom himself, having followed Lois down the stairwell. "I thought you said she didn't know?" he asked.

"She didn't at the time," Clark insisted. "And before you accuse me of anything, she figured it out on her own. I didn't say a thing."

"She figured it out on her own? How?"

Clark shrugged. "How should I know? She's Lois Lane... Her mind works in mysterious ways."

"How long before this hits the front page?" Bruce asked, trying to sound casual, though his nervousness was clearly increasing by the minute.

"Relax, Bruce. She won't print a thing." At Bruce's dubious look, Clark said, "She told me she wouldn't, and I trust her completely."

"Fine, then," Bruce said with a nod, "I trust your judgment."

"You should... My judgment is quite sound, after all." Leaning in, Clark whispered to Bruce's ear, "I picked you over your motorcycle, didn't I?"

"Come on, let's go to lunch," Bruce said in a chuckle as he gently steered Clark toward the elevators.

=> End.


End file.
